English Dub Season Review: Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- Season One

So, the obvious starting point here is going to be the story. Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- started off as a god awful harem anime stuck in an Isekai world. The way Tomoe and Mio try so hard to get on Makoto’s dick is obscenely annoying, and that part comes to a head during “Eat or Be Eaten”. Harem anime definitely isn’t for me. Especially when a show gets to the point where the women are trying to actually put their rape face on. I check out on the show when they actually try to rape someone. I’ve said that I wasn’t happy with “Eat or Be Eaten”, and I think that the notion of “grown” women trying to have sex with a teenager has serious Trapt vibes. If you’re okay with that, go follow Trapt. The lead singer will love you.

Honestly, this was the only point that really gave me any real bad vibes. Outside of the rape face moments, Tomoe and Mio show a lot of growth. Both find something to obsess over from Makoto’s memories. Tomoe took the route of a training samurai, going so far as to go on her own personal training journey for an episode. Mio, on the other hand, is obsessed with children’s shows, like Tokusatsu shows (Power Rangers here in America), as well as Saturday morning cartoons. The character growth and ability to bring on new interests and show interests outside Makoto and what he’s packing was a great addition. I’m curious to see what Shiki is going to gravitate when viewing Makoto’s memories going forward.

Like I’ve been saying, and I want to reitorate this, The story was a huge slog during the first two episodes. Once we get to the end of ”Too Late”, this is where the world building starts. We learn more about Makoto’s machinations, not just for the Demiplane, but for building himself up to combat the Goddess. Makoto managed to bring his powers mostly under control, and able to focus and make himself the most powerful version of himself. His plan to make money in this new world, and get himself back up and running was smart. Utilizing a two pronged approach of using the Adventurer’s Guild, and positioning himself into making his own shop for money and goods. This showed that Makoto was a resourceful person, and added a layer of depth that is sorely lacking from your normal Isekai main character.

The one thing that bugged me about the final wrap up of “Guided by the Moon…” was that the entirety of Makoto’s arc during season one was that Makoto was going to confront the Goddess and find out about his parents’ origins in the Goddess’s World. I don’t want to say it was an obsession, but it was his driving force throughout the season. Yet, after his confrontation with Sofia Bulga and the greater dragon Mitsurugi, Makoto drops everything. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s afraid he’d get annihilated by the Goddess or what, but he was made out to be the most powerful in The Goddess’s World. But for what? It seems like a point that was lazily dropped for now only to pull on later.

That leads me to my next point. This is where Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- shines. During the season, you’re shown how obnoxiously powerful Makoto is, and how he just gets more and more powerful. Any time Makoto was gauged, it was shown that he was not powerful. His level was stupid low compared to Mio, Tomoe, and whomever he partnered up with during his time at the Adventurer’s Guild. Even during the first time Ema gauged Makoto’s power, Makoto had “you’re nothing at all” thrown at him. Yet, he has managed to make a crater and filled it with water during “Guided by the Moon.” During two of the first three episodes, Makoto was able to tame and enter a contract with two greater beasts in Mio and Tomoe. This is a feat that is not done often, especially at the ratio Makoto was able to do. In fact, later on with Shiki, he was able to perform a contract that had Makoto get 100% loyalty and power.

A shaky start with “Failed…Hero” had me worried that Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- was going to be doomed to live in the Isekai hell that houses such shows as Sword Art Online, Dragon Drive, and Log Horizon. However, subverted tropes and unexpected character quirks made Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- a great show. There is a lot to like, especially with Makoto, and the evolved relationships that he grows with Tomoe, Mio, Shiki, and almost every person that comes across his path. It was great to see that Makoto (with the help of Mio and Tomoe) was able to make an actual world and civilization, including an entire financial infrastructure that was created with Makoto’s ambition and machinations.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’ve become a fan of Isekai, but Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- is on the side of Inuyasha and Dragon Drive and shouldn’t be associated with shows like Sword Art Online. There’s so much good here, and the trajectory of Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- seems to be only going up from here.